Designing and Using Custom Chatbots to Support Students With Disabilities: An Educator’s Guide

This article presents a guide for designing and implementing educational chatbots tailored to support students with disabilities. Drawing on clinical simulation frameworks, the authors outline a four-step, tool-agnostic process: conceptualization, protocol design, technical design, and trials and revisions for creating customized chatbots using generative AI. These chatbots simulate authentic educational conversations, offering students personalized, safe spaces to build skills in areas such as self-advocacy and executive functioning. The article highlights the unique potential of chatbots to enhance special education, broadening instructional reach, and fostering individualized learning. Additionally, it provides examples of chatbot applications and guidance for educators on integrating them meaningfully into instruction. With AI increasingly embedded in educational environments, this work equips special educators with a practical, research-informed framework to navigate and leverage emerging technologies responsibly and creatively.